On this page: Curius – Curius Fortunatianus – Curopalates – Cursor

in which Atticus and Cicero were to be the heirs of his property, Cicero receiving one-fourth, and Atticus the rest. Among Cicero's letters to his friends there are three addressed to Curius (vii. 23-26), and one (vii. 29) is addressed by Curius to Cicero. (Cic. ad. Fain. viii. 5, 6, xiii. 7, 17, 50, xvi. 4, 5, 9, 11, ad Att. vii. 2, 3, xvi. 3.)

5. M\ curius, a man notorious as a gambler, who, however, was notwithstanding this appointed judex by Antony in b. c. 44. (Cic. Phil. v. 5, viii. 9.)

6. C. curius, a brother-in-law of C. Rabirius (the murderer of Saturninus), and father of the C. RabiriusPostumus, who was adopted by C. Rabirius. He was a man of equestrian rank, and is called princeps ordinis equestris. He was the largest farmer of the public revenue, and acquired great wealth by his undertakings, which he spent in such a manner, that he seemed to acquire it only with the view of obtaining the means for shewing his kindness and benevolence. Notwith­standing this noble character, he was once accused of having embezzled sums of public money, and with having destroyed a document by fire; but he was most honourably acquitted. (Cic. pro Rabir. perd. 3, pro Rabir. Post. 2, 17.)

7. Q. curius, a Roman senator, who had once held the office of quaestor, came forward in b. c. 64 as a candidate for the consulship ; but he not merely lost his election, but, being a man of a bad character and a notorious gambler, he was even ejected from the senate. He was a friend of Cati­line, and an accomplice in his conspiracy; but he betrayed the secret to his mistress Fulvia, through whom it became known to Cicero. Whether he perished during the suppression of the conspiracy, or survived it, is uncertain. In the latter case, he may have been the same as the Curius mentioned by Appian (B. C.v. 137), who was in Bithynia with Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus, and attempted to betray him, for which he paid with his life.

CURIUS, VI'BIUS, a commander of the ca­ valry in Caesar's army, when he commenced the war against Pompey in Italy. Several of Pompey's generals at the time deserted to VibiusCurius. (Caes. B. C.i. 24 ; Cic. ad Alt. ii. 20, ix. 6 ; Quintil. vi. 3. § 73.) [L. S.j

2. sp. papiriuscursor, a son of the former, was military tribune in b. c. 380. (Liv. vi. 27.)

3. L. papiriuscursor, a son of No. 2, does not occur in history till the time when he was made magister equitum to the dictator L. PapiriusCrassus in b. c. 340. In b. c. 333 he was made consul with C. Poetelius Libo, and according to some annals he obtained the same office a second time in b. c. 326, the year in which the second Samnite war broke out. In the year following he was appointed dictator to conduct the war in place

of the consul L. Camillus, who had been taken seriously ill. Cursor and his magister equitum, Q. Fabius, afterwards surnamed Maxirnus, were the most distinguished generals of the time. Shortly after Piipirius had taken the field, a doubt as to the validity of the auspices he had taken be­fore inarching against the enemy, obliged him to return to Rome and take them again. Q. Fabius was left behind to supply his place, but with the express command to avoid every engagement with the enemy during the dictator's absence. But Fabius allowed himself to be drawn into a battle with the Samnites near a place called Imbrinium or Imbrivium, and he gained a signal victory over the enemy. Papirius was fearfully exasperated at th i s want of military discipline, and hastened back to the army to punish the offender. He was pre­vented, however, from carrying his intention into effect by the soldiers, who sympathized with Fa­bius, and threatened the dictator with a mutiny. Fabius thereupon fled to Rome, where both the senate and the people interfered on his behalf. Papirius was thus obliged to pardon, though with­out forgiving him, and returned to the army. He was looked upon by the soldiers as a tyrant, and in consequence of this disposition of his. army, he was defeated in the first battle he fought against the enemy. But, after having condescended to regain the good-will of the soldiers by promising them the booty which they might make, he ob­tained a most complete victory over the Samnites, and then allowed his men to plunder the country far and wide. The Samnites now sued for a truce, which was granted by the dictator for one year, on condition that they should clothe his whole army and give them pay for a year. Papirius thereupon returned to Rome, and celebrated a triumph.

In b. c. 320, PapiriusCursor was made consul the second (or the third) time, and again under­took the command against the Samnites in Apuliu. It was however uncertain, even in the days of Livy, whether the consuls of that year conducted the war with two armies, or whether it was car­ried on by a dictator and L. Papirius as his magis­ter equitum. It is certain, however, that Papirius blockaded Luceria, and that his camp was reduced to such extremities by the Samnites, who cut oil all supplies, that he would have been lost, had he not been relieved by the army of his colleague, Q. Publilius Philo. He continued his operations in Apulia in the year b. c. 319 also, for which he was likewise appointed consul. About this time the Tarentines. offered to act as mediators between the Romans and Samnites, but were haughtily rejected by Papirius, who now made a successful attack upon the camp of the Samnites : they were compelled to retreat and to leave Luceria to its fate. Seven thousand Samnites at Luceria are said to have capitulated for a free departure, with­out their arms and baggage; and the Frentanians, who attempted to revolt against the Romans, were obliged to submit as subjects and give hostages. After these things were accomplished, he returned to Rome and celebrated his second triumph.

In B. c. 314 Papirius obtained the consulship for the fourth (or fifth) time. Although the war against the Samnites was still going on, neither Papirius nor his colleague Publilius Philo is men­tioned by Livy as having taken part in the cam­paigns of that year, which were conducted by